Telephone hand set



NOV. 1, 1955 PATRlE 2,722,571

TELEPHONE HAND SET Filed Dec. 21, l95z1 7.2- 7- z iii 9 Gea frey ZPaZrie Attorney United States Patent TELEPHONE HAND SET Geoffrey A. Patric, Sheboygan, Wis.

Application December 21, 1951, Serial No. 262,823

2 Claims. (Cl. 179-103) This invention relates to an improved construction of telephone hand set and more particularly to an improvement in the housing portion thereof which extends between the transmitter portion and receiver portion and which conventionally functions as the telephone hand set handle and also as the hand set portion which rests in a desk set cradle on the switch buttons thereof.

With conventional hand sets, considerable difiiculty is frequently encountered in attempting to grasp the intermediate portion of the hand set for removing it from the desk or table set cradle and opposite sides of the intermediate portion frequently must be gripped between the thumb and fingers with sufficient pressure to lift the hand set from the cradle before the hand may be engaged therearound, which is quite ditficult, especially if the thumb and fingers are moist, and frequently results in the hand set being dropped against the desk set with damage resulting to the parts.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of intermediate hand set portion which will enable the intermediate portion of the hand set to be readily grasped while the hand set is resting in a conventional manner in the table or desk set cradle for lifting it therefrom and which will not require changing the grip on the hand set from the time that it is removed from the cradle until it is replaced thereon.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view, partly in section showing a conventional desk set and a modified telephone hand set embodying one form of the invention supported in the cradle of the desk set;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the parts taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the improved hand set;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view thereof, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a third form of the improved hand set.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the telephone hand set, designated generally 6, is illustrated in Figure l as having a conventional transmitter portion 7 at one end thereof and a conventional receiver portion 8 at its opposite end. The hand set 6 also includes an intermediate portion, designated generally 9 connecting the transmitter portion 7 and receiver portion 8. The intermediate portion 9, constituting the invention, differs from the conventional intermediate portion of a hand set in that it is provided with an elongated opening 10 which extends transversely through the intermediate portion 9 and from adjacent one end to adjacent the opposite end 2,722,571 Patented Nov. 1, 1955 thereof dividing said intermediate portion into an upper handle portion 11 and a lower bar portion 12.

A conventional desk or table set, designated generally 13, is illustrated in Figure 1 having the usual cradle 14, the end portions of which are provided with the usual switch actuating buttons 15 which project upwardly from the base of the cradle and which are normally held by suitable spring means, not shown, in elevated positions, said buttons being displaced downwardly by the weight of the hand set when engaged by the intermediate portion thereof resting on the cradle for opening the switch, not shown, controlled by the buttons. The structure of the hand set 13 as briefly described is conventional and forms no part of the present invention and it is to be understood that applicants improvement to the intermediate portion of the hand set is equally well adapted for use with telephone units corresponding to the unit 13 and which are secured to walls or otherwise supported, all of which are provided with an upwardly opening cradle in which the hand set is received and supported. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the underside of the bar 12 rests in the cradle 14 and engages and depresses the buttons 15. Accordingly, it will be readily apparent that the user does not have to grasp the hand set under the bottom part of its intermediate portion as defined by the underside of the bar 12, as is necessary with conventional hand sets, but instead may very conveniently insert the fingers through the opening 10 so as to grasp the handle portion 11 for lifting the hand set from the table set 13, for supporting the hand set while the telephone is in use, and for returning the hand set 6 to the table set 13 without changing the position of a hand engaging the handle portion 11.

Figure 5 illustrates a slightly modified form of the hand set of Figures 1 and 2 and which is designated generally 6a. The hand set 611 instead of being provided with a bar 12 is provided with corresponding bar portions 12a which extend toward one another from the transmitter portion 7a and the receiver portion 8a but which terminate in spaced apart relationship to one another so that the intermediate portion 9a of the hand set 6a is provided with an elongated recess 10a having a restricted opening in the bottom thereof defined by the adjacent ends of the bar portions 12a. The handle portion 11a of the intermediate portion 9a corresponds to the handle portion 11. The space between the bar portions 12a is less than the distance between the buttons or plungers 15 so that when the hand set 6a is applied to the desk set 13 the bottom surfaces of the bar portions 12a will rest on the bed of the cradle 14 and portions thereof will engage and maintain the buttons or plungers 15 in their depressed positions of Figures 1 and 2. The hand set 6a is used in the same manner as the hand set 6 by inserting the fingers transversely through the recess 10a above the bar portions 12a and above the cradle 14 for gripping the handle portion 11a.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate another form of the invention constituting a modification of the form of Figure 5 and which may be applied to a conventional hand set 6b having a conventional intermediate portion 9b. In the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4, a pair of risers 12b is secured to the underside of the intermediate portion 9b, each by a fastening or fastenings 16. The risers 12b are disposed in longitudinally spaced relationship to one another to define a recess 10b therebetween, for the same purpose as the recess 10a. The bottom portions of the risers 12b are adapted to rest on the cradle 14 and are spaced a proper distance apart and a proper distance from the transmitter portion 7b and receiver portion 8b so that the bottom surfaces of the risers 12b will engage and maintain the buttons or plungers 15 in depressed positions when the hand set 6b is supported on the cradle 14. It will be obvious that the part of the intermediate portion 9b which is disposed between the risers 1212 forms a handle 11b which may be gripped with either hand so that the fingers may be passed through the recess 1011 between the risers 12b and above the cradle 14 for gripping the handle 11b. Obviously, the risers 12b may be made in various shapes and sizes so long as they are capable of supporting the handle portion 11b sufficiently above the cradle 14 to allow the fingers to be inserted through the recess 10b, and so long as the risers provide bottom surfaces properly disposed to engage and maintain the plungers 15 in depressed positions.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a telephone hand set having an elongated intermediate portion extending between and connecting a transmitter portion and a receiver portion and forming the hand set handle, riser means connected to and disposed beneath said handle and adapted to rest upon a desk set cradle for supporting the handle above and out cf engagement with the cradle, said riser means comprising a pair of riser members secured to the underside of the handle and disposed in longitudinally spaced relationship to one another, the spacing thereof being such that the riser members rest on the switch actuating buttons of the desk set when the hand set is in place on the cradle.

2. A telephone hand set as in claim 1, said riser members being detachably secured to the underside of the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Krippendorf June 6, 1933 Baker Aug. 16, 1949 

